


The Last Little Lion

by treywantsdatass



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, AoWaka, BoyxBoy, Comedy, Crack Pairings, Fantasy, Gods and Goddesses, Historical, M/M, NijiHai - Freeform, Smut, Yaoi, akafuri - Freeform, bottom!haizaki, haizaka and wakamatsu friendship, kingdom - Freeform, kisekaga, muramido - Freeform, nijihai is my new otp, weird ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-02-07 11:26:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12840171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treywantsdatass/pseuds/treywantsdatass
Summary: Marrying the enemy was the last on Haizaki's list to sacrifice himself for. Will he be able to survive Nijimura's sadistic wrath? Nijihai fic with other couples in between





	1. One

Haizaki Shougo was just a small boy of 5 years when he was crowned with the the kingdom's title of "Little Lion".

Back then, he was too young to understand what that had meant. He thought it was a great praise that he was to receive as the youngest child to the king of Fukuda Sogo.

When he toured the town with his brother, the people would bow down and smile, calling out to him, "Thank you, Little Lion!"

In return, he would smile happily and wave back innocently.

Only later, when he reached the age of maturity, would he come to realize what he really was.

...

...

...

_The same dream came to him once again._

_"Uncle! Wait for me!"_

_Ishida smiled gently at the small boy and held out his hand, "Come, Shougo."_

_Shougo grinned and held his uncle's hand, as they walked through the royal courtyard, admiring the beautifully grown flowers and trees. Ishida brought Shougo to sit under the shade of a big tree and placed the small boy on his lap. "Shougo..."_

_"Yes, Uncle?"_

_He could never resist those big doe eyes, and fluffy silver hair of his nephew. When the two made eye contact, Ishida couldn't stop a tear or two from slipping._

_"Uncle! You're crying!"_

_Ishida bellowed out a laugh and wiped his eyes, "No, Shougo, something went in my eye, so now it's all watery."_

_Distracted by a passing butterfly, Shougo jumped up from his Uncle's lap to try and catch it. Ishida sighed and took out a ring from the pocket of his blazer. The ring had the head of a roaring lion on it, made from glittering gold._

_To think the king planned on having no more children, it pained for him to see Haizaki earn this position. Being the Little Lion was nothing to be happy about. And he knows it because he **is**  the Little Lion._

_"Uncle~ the butterfly flew away!"_

_Ishida brought Shougo close to him and looked at him sadly. "Shougo."_

_"Yes, Uncle?"_

_He placed the ring into the small boy's palms and looked into his eyes, "When I'm gone, you will be the new Little Lion."_

_"I will get to be like you, Uncle?"_

_Ishida smiled sadly and nodded, "Yes, you will be a Little Lion, just like me. Take good care of this ring, okay?"_

_"Yep! I will take care of it with all my heart because I love Uncle the most in the world!"_

_He ruffled the boy's hair gently and hugged him. "Good."_

_The clattering of armor caught his attention and he knew his time was up._

_"My Lord, it is time."_

_Ishida got up slowly and hugged Shougo once more before following the guard._

_"Uncle! Where are you going?!"_

_He smiled one last time before he left for good, "I love you and I will miss you, Shougo. Be a good Little Lion."_

_"Uncle?"_

_Shougo didn't know what was happening, but he had to know where his uncle was going._

_"Uncle, wait for me!"_

_With his short legs, he ran after his beloved uncle, refusing to stop until he reached him._

_"Uncle! Where are you going?! Uncle!"_

_Before he could reach the stairs, a few guards blocked his path and a few maids came to calm him down and bring him back to his chambers._

_"Let me go! I'm going to see my uncle!"_

_"Prince, you can't! My Lord has to tend to his duty and no one must interrupt! Please, let's go back to your chambers!"_

_"No! I want to go to my Uncle!"_

_Anger and frustration built up inside of him, tears falling as he punched at the armored legs of the guards._

_"Prince, you'll hurt yourself! Please, let us go back!"_

_"No! I want to see Uncle! I want to see him!"_

_A pair of hands hoisted him from behind and turned him around, carrying him. "Nii-sama! I want to go see Uncle!"_

_Crown Prince Shindo hugged his dear brother close to him and walked towards his chambers. "You can't, Shou. We can no longer see Uncle Ishi after tomorrow."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because he has a duty to fulfill."_

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Before he knew it, tomorrow had come and the entire kingdom was wearing black and white for the mourning of the youngest child of King Hideki II: Hideki Ishida, the former Little Lion of Fukuda Sogo._

_"Lord Hideki was an admirable general and officer of the kingdom. Even with the title of Little Lion, he had helped the kingdom prosper and stay safe and in harmony before his last duty. Lately, the kingdom of Fukuda Sogo had suffered from an epidemic as a punishment from the gods for our wrongdoings. Therefore, in order to bring peace back to the kingdom, Lord Hideki used his title as the Little Lion to sacrifice himself to the gods, as an apology. We wish the lord nothing but happiness, prosperity, and wealth in the afterlife. To the Little Lion we pray!"_

_The citizens below all shouted with tears filling their eyes, "To the Little Lion we pray!"_

_Prince Shougo didn't know what was happening. All he knew was that his uncle was nowhere to be found._

_He tugged at the sleeve of the Crown Prince, who was dabbing away at the tears falling from his eyes. "Nii-sama, where is Uncle?"_

_Shindo held his hand and looked down at his brother with pity and sadness, "He's dead, Shougo. He caught the plague and now he's dead. He sacrificed himself for the peace of the kingdom and we will never forget it."_

_"He's...dead?"_

_Shougo couldn't believe it. It wasn't true. They're lying to him. He's not dead. This is a lie._

_"That's not true!" he shouted, earning the looks from everyone else, "He's not dead!"_

_"Shou, quiet down."_

_"It's not true! Uncle would never leave me!"_

_"Please, Shou..."_

_"Uncle went to do his duty! He's not dead! He's not-"_

_The sound of a slap to the face echoed throughout the kingdom, and the people fell silent, their eyes casting to the ground. King Haizaki glared down at his youngest, who had held his cheek in disbelief. "Shougo, you are not to be loud and disrespectful at the funeral of my brother, do you hear me?"_

_The five year old trembled and he shakily looked up at his father, tears flowing down his face. "You are all liars! I hate you all!"_

_He ran out of the balcony, Shindo wanting to follow after him. The king's arm stopped him, "Leave him be. The foolish child will realize soon enough."_

_"Yes, Father."_

_"Continue the ceremony."_

_"Yes, Your Majesty."_

_..._

_..._

_..._

Shougo woke up with a start, abruptly sitting up as the memory came back to him.

After that slap to the face, the relationship between him and the king was no longer the same.

Even at the king's grand funeral, he was not there to attend it. He locked himself in his room, and not even the queen or his brother could coax him into attending.

Shougo grew up to be a rebellious prince, skipping his lessons to flirt with the ladies in town, got into fights with the boys of other nobles, and even attempted to color his hair with the dye from some blackberries if it weren't for his brother dragging him to a nearby stream to wash his hands and pour out the mixture.

The only thing that made the queen proud was his fighting abilities. Only within two years of training with the royal army, he surpassed his superiors and became a general of the royal army and one of the few fleet admirals of the royal navy. And he was only 16 then.

Now at the age of 23, he was completely in control of the royal forces. Even generals that were thirty years older than him respected him to the highest degree.

As another Little Lion, Shougo wanted to be as good as his uncle was and not bring shame to his uncle's name.

However, as great as his uncle was, Shougo was not as smart as Ishida was. Nothing he learned processed in his brain. The speeches of his tutor passed through his ears like air.

The one thing he did comprehend, though, was that the kingdom of Fukuda Sogo had prospered through generations of Little Lions. The founder of the kingdom, King Fukuda Sogo, had built the kingdom with his bare hands, helping his people and worked together with them to build a beautiful kingdom from scratch. The king of a hundred thousand years ago used to be the next in line to become king of the lost Fukuda kingdom, until an uprising of his cousin caused him and the people still loyal to his father to flee as far as they could.

Not long after the kingdom was successfully built, news had reached the kingdom of the fall of the old Fukuda kingdom by a tremendous earthquake. The earthquake, the people believed, was a form of punishment from the gods to the king's cousin and his followers for committing treason and betraying his father.

King Fukuda Sogo helped his new kingdom prosper and peace was among them. Until a cyclops threatened the population, eating one human at a time at an irregular pace. At the time, the king had five children and the citizens were begging for help against the giant. The youngest child, Prince Fukuda Arashi, volunteered to slay the giant to stop the mass murdering of the people. It was said that the Goddess of Strength, Leo, saw the bravery of the prince and decided to help him. She granted him with a golden ring with a lion's head as a charm to give him strength, blinding armor made of holy gold with the crest of a lion, and a blood red cloak made of the shed piles of fur from her brother, the God of Fire, Ifrit's mane. As a last gift, she gave him a selection of weapons made from the blackest onyx.

To this day, the set of onyx weapons are still intact and gleaming brightly in the shrine room of their kingdom that was dedicated to Leo, refusing to rust or dull.

Prince Fukuda Arashi chose the onyx bow, lions engraved in the onyx, and the onyx katana, the blade being as black as the bottom of the ocean.

Rumor has it, if anyone besides the Little Lion tries to carry any of the items gifted by the goddess, they will be crushed by the weight of it, even the ring that Shougo wears everyday could feel like a ton to someone else.

At the time of the fight, the prince was only a teenager of 14 years. And with all of the gifts from the lion goddess, the prince was nicknamed the Little Lion.

He went into battle with the cyclops on his own. Entering into the cyclops' den, he lured the giant out and fought with him. After dodging the many blows of the cylops' fists, the prince readied his bow with an arrow, praying to the goddess for his success before he shot, the arrow striking right through the cyclops' eye. With the giant distracted by the pain, the prince climbed up his body and with the katana, he stabbed it right into his heart, killing him instantly. With the prince still hanging onto the katana, the giant collapsed forward, crushing the heroic prince to death beneath him.

Leo carried Prince Arashi back to the kingdom to have a proper funeral and magically built a room in the castle to especially hold her gifted items.

From then on, the youngest child of every king of Fukuda Sogo was named the Little Lion.

Little Lions had the duty of sacrificing themselves to bring peace to the kingdom. Whether it was a large or small matter, every sacrifice ended with the Little Lion dead.

For Ishida, it was because of the plague. The day Ishida gave Shougo the ring was the day he knew that his time living was up. The priests had set up a ritual to have the Lord negotiate with the Goddess of Health, Sekhmet. She was the sister of Leo, and she knew of the tradition that her sister had unintentionally started.

Lord Ishida asked for all of the kingdom to be rid of the plague and be healthy once more. In return, the goddess will direct all of the plague into his body. The goddess agreed and therefore, Ishida was hit with the plague and died hours later. The citizens that were affected by it were nursed back to health as if it never existed.

Haizaki Shougo figured out what he really was.

He was the Little Lion.

The martyr of the kingdom of Fukuda Sogo.

He was the official sacrifice.

Whatever bad news came their way, he's guaranteed to be the first one to go.

Even if it meant he had to die.

...

...

...

But he didn't think that having to be betrothed to the Crown Prince of their greatest enemy counted as a sacrifice.

"Mother! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Shou, calm down a bit first and sit down." his brother commanded.

He stood in place and his voice raised, "No! How can I calm down when Mother betrothed me to that bullshit kingdom that has been trying to steal our lands for years?! I'd rather go to war and get killed than marrying with that kingdom! And with their damn Crown Prince! Not a princess, but a  _ **prince**_!"

The Queen slammed her hands on the marble table, glaring at her son, the same glare his father gave him at Ishida's funeral. Shougo didn't like it one bit.

"War is the exact reason I am having you betrothed to Crown Prince Nijimura Shuuzou! Teiko had went easy on us these past few years by sending only a few thousand troops to try and capture us. But this time, they plan only sending all of their divisions with over hundreds of thousands of troops with the Miracles leading them! We have only fifty thousand soldiers and a population of two hundred thousand. Going against them would mean annihilating our entire kingdom and we'll be lost like our father kingdom of Fukuda! Would you want that, Shougo?!"

His hands balled up into fists, and a growl was bubbling in his throat.

"Why the fuck does it have to be settled through marriage anyway?!"

"Do you want to be a hostage rotting in their jail cells then?!"

"Hell yeah I do! I'd fucking kill myself before I ever get married to that man!"

"Shou! Watch your language! Don't talk back to Mother with that tone!"

"Nii-sama! You have only one child and your wife has lost the ability to bear children. If I were to leave, your daughter would have to inherit my title and god knows none of us want that for her."

"Regardless of whether you go to war or marry the prince, you'll have to give your title to her!"

Shindo was right. Either way, he'd have to leave and pass on the title to her. But he didn't want that kind of miserable future put on to her. Shougo was very attached to his niece, just as much as his brother was and he would never let harm come her way. Misaki loved Shougo just as much as she loved her parents, and it reminded him of his own deceased uncle. He didn't want Misaki to cry and go through that suffering like he did.

This tradition was bullshit and he was going to end it. Even if that meant he had to marry that son of a bitch.

He released his fists and sat down, taking in deep breaths. Then, he looked up at his mother and said, "I agree to marry Crown Prince Nijimura."

The Queen and Prince Shindo were both surprised at his decision. "Really?"

"On one condition: let me speak to Leo."

The Queen called for a servant to gather the priests at the holy room. Shougo will finally see if the lioness is real or not.

Upon completion, the priests called for Shougo to enter the holy room. As directed, he sat down in the middle of the ritual circle that had been drawn with ancient scriptures with white chalk. Once seated, each priest placed one candle beside him, enclosing him a in a circle of lit candles. The priests started their chanting and Shougo was told to close his eyes and clear his mind to ready himself for the arrival of the goddess.

"Leo! Goddess of Strength! We call out to you on behalf of Fukuda Sogo's Little Lion! Prince Haizaki Shougo! Please come forth to communicate with his highness per his request!"

Within a few seconds, a strong gust of wind erupted in the holy room and blew out all of the candles, even when the holy room had no windows. However, a golden light emitted from the air and soon, the goddess had taken form in front of Shougo, the warm light almost blinding him.

_**"Little Lion, why have you called for me?"** _

"I want to make a deal."

The goddess arched an eyebrow and leaned in close to his face, smirking almost. He sort of liked it.

_**"Oh? How so?"** _

"As you may already know, I am being betrothed to the Nijimura's crown prince, in return of the peace of the kingdom."

**_"Indeed, I have heard of the news."_ **

"But I will not go through with it."

**_"The fate of your kingdom will be dark if you do not."_ **

"I will not go through with it unless..."

**_"Unless?"_ **

"You need to agree to have me as the last Little Lion. After I die, there will be no more Little Lions after me and you can take back all of your weapons and armor, and the ring that you gifted to our kingdom."

She laughed and wiped a fake tear from her eyes, **_"How selfish you are. How do you know if I will agree? If I don't, your kingdom will perish, just like that of the old Fukuda."_**

"We've worshipped you and your siblings for hundreds of thousands of years already. And I'm sure you'd like your things back, since they do drain out some of your power every year."

The goddess furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. **_"How do you know about that?"_**

Now it was Shougo's tun to smirk. "I've heard from a little bird that a certain god of disaster takes a liking to you."

The goddess had a pink tint run across her cheeks, **_"You-!"_**

"For a few thousand years, he's chased after you in hopes of marrying you, but as the hopeless romantic, yet stubborn woman you are, you said you'd rather die than marry him. And so, when he brought that cyclops to the new kingdom of Fukuda Sogo, to piss him off and get him away from you for good, you decided to gift Prince Arashi with your holy items. And each time a Little Lion dies, it drains a bit of your power. You made it that way so that if enough generations of Little Lions passed away, you would die, just like how you said you would and the god would never be able to marry you."

**_"Damned human-!"_ **

"But throughout the years, his level of disaster cast on our kingdom has lessened, therefore, slowing down the draining process. It seems the god has either loved you enough to not want you to die, or he just has lost his interest in you after waiting for so long. But from another little bird, I heard you've finally started liking him back, no?"

**_"How dare you search into a deity's personal life?!"_ **

Shougo had on a really smug face now. He may not be book smart, but he was street smart, and that meant having the ability to persuade anyone, including a god.

"It seems the God of Disaster has grown tired of waiting for you and has decided to go for the Goddess of Beauty instead. And if you want to stay as a goddess in order to get him to like you once more, you'll need all of your power back so that you won't end up turning into a mortal."

Leo's face was clearly red now and her golden light dimmed a bit to try and match the darkness of her blush in order to hide it.

"If you agree to this deal, not only are you helping our kingdom which has long worshiped you and your siblings, but you'll also be helping yourself by regaining the power you had lost. I've heard that mortals will never see the features of a god unless their power has drastically lowered. And even if your light is still blinding me, I can clearly see what you look like. And what I see in front of me is a goddess that is pouting and crossing her arms, her face beat red from embarrassment."

Leo grabbed at her hair and sighed in frustration, **_"ARGH! FINE! You'll be the last Little Lion and after your death, I will be taking my items back! Now that I've agreed to your deal, do not talk about my love life ever again!"_**

Shougo shrugged his shoulders and snickered, "That's only if you keep to your end of the deal. Besides, once I die, I won't be able to talk about your love life anymore."

**_"DAMNED HUMANS! IF I KNEW A PRINCE LIKE YOU WOULD BE THE LITTLE LION I WOULD'VE NEVER HELPED ARASHI!"_ **

She vanished into the air and the room was dark once more, the candles re-lit by the goddess as she left.

The priests had no words for what went on in the room. Prince Shougo had dared threaten their sole goddess. But then again, Prince Shougo will always be Prince Shougo, a rebellious brat at heart.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw, the fukuda sogo wedding clothes are highly hindu based. im not hindu myself, so i dont know much, but the ceremonies will be similar to khmer wedding ceremonies, bc that's what i am. and im tired of writing about having weddings at a church when im not even christian (no offense) anyway i dont own knb or its characters so enjoy

"Shuuzou."

"Yes, Father?"

The king was laying down in his bed sick with an incurable disease.

"The arrangements are done. You are set to marry the prince by tomorrow."

"So quickly?"

"If we were to give them time, they could quickly build reinforcements. Your future husband is no regular prince. Within only two years of training, he became a general and an admiral. In which, compared to you who took a good five years, is much more dangerous."

Shuuzou grumbled under his breath at the comparison. And to think that brat was younger than him too.

"As quickly as he has risen, he could easily train his people to become as ruthless as he is."

"Why do you want Fukuda Sogo so bad anyway? They're a small kingdom with nothing of value."

"As I have said, the prince is an outstanding general and would be of good use to our forces."

"But why not have him marry one of the Miracles? They too are great generals."

King Nijimura shook his head. "I have already asked the God of Fate in a prayer. He came to me in my dream and told me, if we wanted this marriage to be successful, he has to marry you."

"Pssh," Shuuzou rolled his eyes, "Really, Father? Gods aren't real. If they were, then thunder would strike down a tree nearby and prove me wrong."

The Crown Prince jumped in surprise, when not even a second later, lightening struck the large pine tree that was right next to his father's bedroom window. He looked at the king, who had on a deadpanned look, "They're real son."

He grumbled again.

...

...

...

"Nijimura-cchi~ I heard you're getting married to the second prince of Fukuda Sogo?"

"Congratulations, Nijimura-kun."

"Mura-chin, will there be sweets at the wedding?"

"Oha Asa has predicted good fortune coming out of this marriage."

"Gihi, old Niji finally has a fiance, ei?"

"What a great tactical move. As expected from His Majesty."

His vein popped out in annoyance as he tried to ignore his friends' words.

"Could you guys stop? It's already bad enough that I had to break it off with my woman and she slapped me in the face afterwards."

Kise Ryouta put a finger to his chin, pondering on who it could have been. Then, the thought finally came to him. "Oh! You mean the daughter of noble that controls the ports?" he made a disgusted sound, "No offense, Nijimura-cchi, she's really not suited for you."

"I would like to agree," Kuroko Tetsuya stated with his stoic as ever face, "She's not very faithful."

Murasakibara Atsushi munched on a bowl of snacks as he spoke, "It's true, Mura-chin. I've seen her give sweets to other men. She's a bad person."

"Oha Asa agrees," Midorima Shintarou pushed up his spectacles to the bridge of his nose, "if you were to marry her, you'd be bringing in a bad omen into the castle."

Aomine Daiki picked at his ears and flicked the earwax out the window, "She's not even sexy. Or appealing. Mai-chan at the tavern in town is so much better."

"She would be of no use to you," Akashi Seijirou said casually as he sipped on his tea, "We still have full control over the ports. There is no need for connections with that family."

Shuuzou groaned loudly and sat back in his chair, "Would you guys shut up! You're not making me feel any better!"

The six rainbow-headed generals ignored his complaint and began talking amongst themselves on what the prince looked like and how the ceremony would be set.

If it weren't for his father asking, he wouldn't have ever thought to marry the prince. He would've immediately gone to war with them and crushed their forces. But all is said and done. There was nothing he could do to stop it now.

...

...

...

By the request of Queen Haizaki, King Nijimura agreed to have the entire wedding done the traditional Fukuda Sogonese way, with the exception of the reception being done the Teikonian way at the King's castle. By Fukuda Sogoese tradition, weddings were to last an entire week. But because of modernization and with work schedules, weddings were cut short for two days. But not for the royals. A royal marriage was a national holiday and the citizens were quite grateful. That meant no work or school for a full week. They got to eat good food and drink as much as they wanted and they could party? It was like a vacation to them!

Shuuzou had absolutely no clue on how he was supposed to act. So he had to rely on the priest and his fiance to know what to do. Not that he even knows what the guy looks like. For all they know, the prince could be using an impostor so that he could get out of it. Shuuzou groaned. He should've thought of that!

When the wedding dressers from Fukuda Sogo entered his temporary dressing room, he was baffled by how many outfits he had to change into. Teiko and Fukuda Sogo may be close distance wise, but religiously, they were thousands of years apart. The grandest a Teikoian wedding would be was to marry in elegant white robes at the Shirogane Church and vow to stay faithful until death do them part. But Fukuda Sogo was a whole different story.

The weddings of royals from Fukuda Sogo were always held at the biggest temple there was, dedicated to no other than Leo, Sekhmet, and Ifrit, the lion triplets. Any crimes of theft, damage, or any harm done to the temple ended in execution. Therefore, the citizens respect the temple highly, as if the three gods lived in there.

When preparing the temple for the grand ceremony of the life bonding moment, the monks and priests join together to start a one day ritual a day ahead in order to ask for the blessings of the three gods, to allow for the marriage and for them to personally witness the marriage for themselves the day of.

The temple doors are left open the entire wedding ceremony so that the citizens could also take a glimpse of the wedding, and some were even lucky to see the bright aura of the godly trio in the past. The citizens take that time to not only pray for the marriage to be everlasting, but also for the happiness of the kingdom and their families.

With the marriage being the first ever to allow marriage with an outsider, the citizens were worried for the fate of their kingdom, as they were afraid that the three gods wouldn't allow a stranger that knew nothing about their religion to marry into the royal family. Talk was speculating in the town and it was making Shougo nervous.

What if Leo, Ifrit, and Sekhmet objected the marriage? Wouldn't they be doomed?

But that shouldn't be possible. He already talked to Leo and she didn't think anything wrong of the idea. They've already made a deal so there wasn't much to worry about.

Except for the fact that he'll be the first royal in Fukuda Sogo history to marry a partner of the same gender. The idea caused him to be all jittery and he couldn't calm down.

For the first session, the parade, Shougo was getting ready in one of the temple's rooms. He was dressed in a navy blue dhoti woven with silver designs made from silk. Leaving his chest bare, a long navy chiffon drape of five meters was wrapped and tied around his waist three times before being thrown over his left shoulder, secured to the back with a jeweled pin. The maids secured the clasp of the jingling silver bangles around his ankles and wrists, before finishing the outfit with a jeweled headpiece laid carefully on his hair.

The headpiece had a sapphire as the center laying on his forehead, held together by a series of thin silver chains that hung low and weightlessly on his head. It was a woman's headpiece, but Shougo had to bear with the fact that he had to take the role of the bride rather than the groom since he had been 'proposed to'.

For the necklace, it was a sapphire-bejeweled piece that was sure to be an eye catcher. With the properly dressed maids as his guide, he was led to stand in front of the closed temple doors.

The banging of a gong signaled the start of the parade. Traditional Fukudan Sogo music was being played by the royal musicians in a gazebo nearby. His nervousness increased as he heard the citizens outside happily cheering for the stranger to their kingdom.

Now, all he had to do was wait for his husband to arrive the temple doors.

...

...

"Nijimura-cchi! This is so cool! Who knew a small country like this would have such elaborate clothes and jewelry? It looks great on all of us!"

Traditionally, the wedding was supposed to have only the bride and the groom. But because of Western influences seeping through the tight Fukuda Sogonese walls, their weddings were modernized so that the married couple could have their set of groomsmen and bridesmaids. For Shuuzou, his mother-in-law allowed for the Miracles to be his groomsmen.

Shuuzou wore a similar outfit as his bride, but the colors were reversed. Instead, his dhoti and drape were majorly silver, with some navy blue embroidery. The Miracles wore silver dhotis as well, but had on navy blue Sherwanis with a diamond pinned at the breast pocket, giving them a polished Western look.

"Kise-kun, Fukuda Sogo has been here much longer than we have."

"If you had done your lessons correctly, Kise, then you would have known that Fukuda Sogo is not just a little country."

Kise pouted, "Midorima-cchi! You're so mean!"

Akashi looked at his clothes with fascination, "Midorima is right, Kise. Fukuda Sogo is quite interesting. The tale behind it's creation really perks my interests. It is said this country had a father country, possibly the first kingdom in the world. And not only that, this country is protected by three gods, in which we'll supposedly be seeing at today's ceremony."

Shuuzou never slacked on his studies, but he wasn't as interested in Fukuda Sogo as to search into it's history and culture.

The banging of a gong started the parade. "Prince Nijimura Shuuzou of Teiko has arrived!"

With a priest leading in the front, Shuuzou followed at a steady pace and sneaked glances at the people of his husband's citizens. Strangely enough, instead of rejoicing, they were...crying? Did Fukuda Sogonese citizens usually cry at weddings?

Behind him were the Miracles, Murasakibara and Midorima holding up umbrellas over his head to keep out the sun. Following them were the nobles, captains from the royal army, and their wives carrying 36 trays varying from fruits, to beans, to grains, and to wrapped desserts.

Arriving at the big golden doors of the temple, there were three pairs of bridesmaids, each pair holding a long string of red flowers. In pairs, the miracles were instructed to give money envelopes to each bridesmaid and take the string of flowers from them to open the path.

Kuroko and Kise went up to the first pair and gave the money to their respective bridesmaid, taking the string of flowers and returning to their spot in the parade. Midorima and Aomine went to the second pair, and Aomine didn't miss that chance to wink at the busty woman, who in turn scowled at him. Lastly, were Murasakibara and Akashi, both somehow intimidating their bridesmaid without meaning to. Once the three strings of flowers were taken, the six bridesmaids formed a line in front of the temple doors and bowed to Nijimura. He was instructed to bow down before the three gods before proceeding to meet his bride.

Once he did, the big golden temple doors were gently pushed open by the surprisingly strong bridesmaids, finally revealing his bride.

"Prince Haizaki Shougo! Do you allow this man to enter into your holy house of marriage?"

Nijimura took a good look at his husband. They were around the same height, however his husband's build was bigger than his. But surprisingly, as such a talked about commander, he had no battle scars. The prince had glistening silver hair, almost rivaling the color of his clothes. His face was stern, yet calm when he spoke.

"Yes, I allow Prince Nijimura Shuuzou to enter into this holy house."

Nijimura was directed to stand in front of his bride. A bridesmaid brought a bowl of holy water in which Haizaki dipped his hands in. Rubbing them together, he sat on his heels and prayed to Nijimura's feet three times, sprinkling the holy water onto his bare feet. He rose and carefully took a hold of a heavily rose-flowered lei from another bridesmaid and placed it over his new husband's head, letting it rest on him like a necklace.

Nijimura had done the same, putting the lei over his husband's head, the palm of his hands ever so slightly brushing against Haizaki's soft, fur-like hair.

After the ceremony at the door, a priest lead the two to sit on cushions that were were placed in front of the gold statues of their three deities. The groomsmen and bridesmaids sat in a horizontal line behind them.

The others that were behind them placed their trays of food in front of the wide altar and walked to their spots behind the bridal party.

"Queen Haizaki of Fukuda Sogo and Queen Nijimura of Teiko has arrived!"

The two queens, dressed in traditional Fukuda Sogonese queen attire, sat to the side of their respective sons.

Monks and priests alike sat behind them, creating a half moon around the bridal party.

"Today we are celebrating the marriage of the two princes. In prayer we shall call forth the presence of their holiness: the Goddess of Strength, Leo, the God of Fire, Ifrit, and the Goddess of Health, Sekhmet. With this, we hope for the blessings of the three deities to officiate the marriage between Crown Prince Nijimura Shuuzou of Teiko, and Fukuda Sogo's Little Lion, Prince Haizaki Shougo. We shall begin!"

The Teikonians noticed all of the Fukuda Sogonese putting their hands together and followed suit as the monks and priests chanted their holy prayer in an ancient language unknown to them.

At the end of the chant, the entire kingdom vibrated. And just as Akashi had hoped, the three deities had shown themselves, each stepping out from their respective statues. The sight was an awe to the Teikonians. They never thought the day would come when they got to actually meet gods in person.

"Goddess of Strength, God of Fire, and Goddess of Health. We, Fukuda Sogo, ask for your blessings to officiate the marriage between Crown Prince Nijimura Shuuzou and the Little Lion."

When Ifrit spoke, his deep voice could make anyone tremble in fear.  _ **"Little Lion, this is quite the risk you are taking. Do you realize that?"**_

"Yes, as the Little Lion, it is my duty to take any risks involved with bringing peace to the kingdom."

Nijimura noticed Haizaki flinching when Sekhmet spoke,  _ **"As this was not as severe as the duty of the last Little Lion, I give you my blessings."**_

_**"Leo, what do you say?"** _

_**"I give you both my blessings. With this marriage, the kingdom of Fukuda Sogo will once again become peaceful. Let us commence the ceremony."** _

It seemed that wearing navy blue and silver first was a must at every wedding, so that once the marriage was blessed, the three deities could change the clothes into the correct colors. Ifrit created a ball of deep red fire in his hands and little balls fell off of it, flying to the navy blue parts of the bridal party's clothes, changing it into a burgundy color instead.

Leo had done the same, creating a ball of golden light and then throwing it up into the air for it to explode into glitter, changing the silvers into gold.

Lastly, Sekhmet casted a warm light into the air, and with the combined prayers from her siblings, the warm light transformed into rose petals and scattered, covering the entire temple along with the people in it.

The citizens and the Teikonians watched in awe at the blessing ritual. Not even Crown Prince Shindo's wedding was as grand or as beautiful as this.

The bridal party put their hands together and bowed to the three deities three times, with their palms touching the floor each time.

The monks sat in front of the three deities and the priests brought bowls of holy water to put in front of the lead monk. For a good two hours, the monks chanted their set of prayers and whipped the holy water onto the bride and groom with long grass leaves.

Nijimura and the Miracles internally groaned at the long prayer. They were not used to sitting on their bottoms with their feet put to the side beneath them. Thankfully, the monk session was over and they were given a half hour to change into their next out fit.

"Holy gods! I thought my legs was going to fall off!"

"I spotted Murasakibara, he was bound to fall asleep if it weren't for me pinching him awake."

"I can't help it, Aka-chin. It's so boring~"

"Hell yeah it was," Aomine stretched his tense muscles before putting on a hot pink Sherwani. "But really though? Pink? What are we, girls?"

The dresser explained that it was queen that chose the colors, she had no control over it.

"Oha Asa said that pink is the lucky color today. You should be happy."

Nijimura just shook his head at their conversation and prepared to change into his next outfit. Unlike the others, his Sherwani was a blush pink with slightly gold accents, and wore a 24K gold chain, with a ruby pendant.

After successfully changing into their second outfits, the groom and the Miracles headed back to sit in front of the two queens, the three gods gone back to their realm. Haizaki appeared afterwards, wearing a blush pink Sherwani as well with a silver chain and a diamond pendant, his bridesmaids wearing hot pink sarees. The pink actually accentuated Haizaki's features quite well, making him look attractive and innocent, which Nijimura sure he wasn't.

The third ceremony was the ring exchanging ceremony. Both queens gave their treasured rings that were passed down from generation to generation to their sons.

Haizaki went first. He held Nijimura's left hand and slipped the wedding ring onto his ring finger. As he was doing so, Nijimura noticed the lion-shaped ring that was on his husband's middle finger. Was that why he was called the Little Lion? No, wait. That goddess said something about the little lion before him. What exactly does that mean?

It was Nijimura's turn. He held Haizaki's slender hand and slipped the wedding ring onto his finger quite easily.

"The ring exchange is complete. Now we ask our honored guests to come up and join in the knot tying ceremony."

With their backs to the statues, they both sat on cushioned chair, Nijimura sighed thankfully for them, and rested their arms on the pillowed table that was placed in front of them, their hands put together in a prayer motion again.

Queen Haizaki went first to set an example for the Teikonians. She grabbed two white strings, one for her son, and one for her son-in-law. She tied one on Shougo's wrist while giving him her blessings, "Son, I hope that you can make the most of this marriage." And then, to Shuuzou, "Also, I hope that you can learn to love him and forgive him for any rash actions."

Shougo turned his face away, only Shuuzou spoke, "I will try my best."

When Queen Nijimura came, Shougo was quite nervous. She smiled at him, but he didn't know how to respond to that. "Haizaki-kun, I know that you might resent us for this, but I hope that both of our kingdoms can come to love each other. Take good care of my son."

"...Yes, Your Highness."

"Please, call me Mother. We'll be living together after all."

Shougo looked up at her, she was kind and understanding. Maybe they'll get along. "Yes, Mother."

Prince Shindo tied the white string around his brother's wrist and gave him a small flick to the forehead. "Ow!"

"Don't be rude over there and try to get along with people for once, will ya?"

"Hah? Says who?"

Shindo flicked him again. "Ow!"

"Says Fukuda Sogo's future king, idiot." Then, he tied a string around Shuuzou's wrist, "Don't mind him, he's just an immature punk most of the time."

Shuuzou chuckled and turned to look at his husband, who was fuming and sending death glares at his brother-in-law. "Sure thing."

Some of the older generals and their wives came to give their blessings with an all too serious tone, but Shougo got the jokes behind them and only laughed in return, the old grandpas laughing with him.

Then, a mixture of Teikonian and Fukuda Sogonese nobles took their turn in tying the strings around their wrists and giving them their blessings.

Finally, the people Shougo were waiting for, his cousins had come.

"Prince Hanamiya Makoto, Prince Yamazaki Hiroshi, and Lord Furuhashi Koujiro from Kirisaki Daichi!"

"I thought you wouldn't have made it with such a short notice."

Makoto had on his signature smirk and tied the string, "Fool, how dare you underestimate the speed of our horses."

Hiroshi smacked his head playfully and grinned, "Of course he will, Aniki. He's dumb."

"Damn you, Hiroshi! Say that again when I knock you off of your damn stallion!"

Hiroshi stuck his tongue out, "Try me, ba~ka~"

Koujiro pushed his cousin aside so that it could be his turn, "You're so fucking annoying, Hiroshi. Shut up and move over, it's my turn."

"You tell him, Kou."

"Prince Narumi Daisuke and Lord Tsubuku Masahiro from Josei!"

"Aye~ my cousin's finally got himself a mate! The party music better be good!"

"Shut up, Daisuke!" Daisuke only grinned like a fool before going back to his seat.

"You sure have grown up quickly."

"Uncle Masa, please, you're making yourself sound old."

He bellowed out in laughter and ruffled his nephew's hair.

"Prince Kobayashi Keisuke from Onita!"

Silence between the two cousins had started to tick Nijimura off. Were they just going to stare at each other like that?

"Keisuke."

"Shougo."

"..."

"..."

Then, Shougo started laughing, and Keisuke groaned out loud. "HAHA! SUCKER!"

"This is impossible! I was so sure that I was going to get married first!"

"Not with the pace you keep approaching your girl! You better pay up before you leave!"

Keisuke grumbled. Nijimura had to assume they had made a bet of some sort.

The priests chanted something before ending the ceremony.

"The knot tying ceremony is now complete! The wedding shall continue tomorrow!"

By the time everyone had finished tying their knots onto the couple, it was sunset and both arms of the princes were filled with white strings up to their elbows.

The Miracles sighed in relief and went to the dressing room to change back into some more comfortable tunics and trousers. Everyone was allowed to go rest at their guest rooms in the castle. However, the bride and groom still had a few things to do before going to rest.

Before leaving the temple, the priests told them both, "You must pick up all of the rose petals that were gifted by her holiness Sekhmet. Let the maids draw a bath and add in all of the petals. And tonight, you both must bathe together. Leave no petals behind. The three have allowed you to climb upon their statues for petals that are out of reach. Miss even one petal and your marriage will be cursed."

Once they were alone, Shougo fell to the floor and rolled around with his head in his hands. "Argh! This is complete and utter bullshit! I should've been married to a cute girl but I have to get married to this bastard!"

Irritated, a vein popped up from Shuuzou's head. "Well,  _excuse me,_ I never wanted this either! I'd rather kill you at war!"

Shougo stood up and shouted, "I could say the same! I'd rather have your head crushed beneath my feet!"

"I had to break up with my woman because of this!"

"Well, I have to leave my damn castle and live with you!"

They both groaned and began their tiring task.

With baskets provided by the temple, the two placed their collected rose petals in and searched every nook and cranny for the rest.

Shougo panted and rested his hands on his hips, "Finally, we're done!"

"Wait."

Shougo turned around to see his husband approach him, his hand reaching for his head. Instinctively, he backed away, swatting at his hand. "Woah! What do you think you're doing?!"

"There's a petal in your hair."

"What? Where?"

Shougo felt around but couldn't find it. Impatient, Shuuzou grabbed at his hands. "Stay still. You can't find shit."

"What the fuck you just say?!"

He grabbed Shougo's head and pulled him closer to pick off the petal. The younger prince got a whiff of his husband's body and found it to be quite...pleasant. Shougo mentally slapped himself. What was he thinking?!

"Are you done yet?!"

"I am now, there were a few hiding in your nappy fur."

"My hair is not nappy! And it's not fur!"

Nijimura smirked and put the petals in his basket. "Nap~py~"

"Damn bastard!" Haizaki took a swing at him, but the older swiftly dodged it, the basket of flowers held up above his head, "Watch it, or else we'll have to pick this all up again."

The younger huffed and picked up his own basket, making his way towards the carriage that was waiting for them outside. Nijimura followed and sat the opposite of him, which was a bad choice in the long run. Now, he had nowhere to look  _except_  for his husband.

A look of surprised passed Haizaki's face as the carriage driver hadn't watched the night road well enough to see a big dent in the path, causing the carriage to tip over ever so slightly, the midnight breeze blowing away some of the petals out of the windows of their ride.

"Oi! Stop the carriage!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Hey, where are you going?"

Shougo seemed to be annoyed by his question when he paused for a moment before jumping out, "To pick up the petals, idiot! It's bad enough already that I have to get married to you, I don't want to be cursed with bad luck during the entirety of it!"

Nijimura sighed and jumped after him, "Me neither, damn it!"

With only the moonlight to guide them, the married couple began searching for the fallen petals.

"Oi! Did you search over there yet?"

"Can't you see I'm doing that right now?!"

"What about over there?"

"You're closer! You go check!"

After a good ten minutes collecting the missing petals, the two returned to the carriage, making sure the petals were securely on their laps before instructing the driver to continue.

In their haste to get the night over with, the two didn't notice one last petal perching upon the branch of a tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh nooooo they missed a petal! what to do? ;P


	3. Three

"Oi! Can you not look?!" Shougo yelled out, his face red from embarrassment or the hot bath, Nijimura doesn't know. But he did find it a bit cute.

As Shougo was trying, yet miserably failing, to cover his private parts with his hands, Nijimura couldn't help but tell himself that he had guessed wrong.

Haizaki does have battle scars. There were two, but if he were to stand straight with his feet together, those two scars would probably form a straight line across his thighs. It could've been that he was so damn good that someone powerful gave him those scars, or, he was actually wimpier than what his reputation made him seem to be and he was too scared after getting the scars.

"How'd you get those?" he asked, pointing at Haizaki's scars.

"Hah?" Haizaki traced his scars softly before settling inside the big bath tub. "I got those from a friend. We used spar a lot when we were kids. Then, he just kept on getting stronger until I couldn't even hold a draw with him anymore. One day, we decided to spar with real blades to prove ourselves as 'real men' but, well, this is the result."

Nijimura noticed the younger's soft smile as he talked about the memory. It somehow irked him. Luckily, Haizaki's soft smile turned into a scowl and a glare once again, "Why the hell am I explaining this to you?!"

"Because I'm your husband. Duh~"

"Hah?! This week ain't over yet! Until then, you're only my fiance!"

Nijimura slowly made his way towards him, "Unless you want to consummate before the end of the wedding?"

"Get away from me!"

Haizaki splashed the hot water in his face, drenching his hair completely. The younger laughed hysterically and pointed at the older, "You look like a wet shih-tzu!"

Aggravated, Nijimura returned the favor, splashing the water onto the prince's face, some of the rose petals getting stuck in Haizaki's hair once again. Now it was his turn to laugh at the other. "I told you your hair is nappy! The petals got stuck again!"

"Argh! Take this!"

In what was supposed to be a peaceful and romantic bath, Haizaki and Nijimura turned it into a messy water fight. The maids that had to wait outside of the bath curtains only sighed at their prince's actions. Typical.

A maid interrupted their little fight, "Haizaki-sama, Nijimura-sama, the Queen reminds you to not miss the feast tonight."

Haizaki waved her off, "Yeah, yeah, I'll be there. Oh, wait."

"Yes?"

"Is...uh, um...is Nash here?"

"I believe the country of Jabberwock had received an invitation, however, the prime minister had to decline due to government matters."

"Okay, you can leave. We'll be done soon."

"Yes, Haizaki-sama."

Nijimura splashed water in his face. "Hey!"

"Who's Nash?"

There it was, that red face again.

"Don't worry 'bout it! None of ya business!"

Haizaki quickly got up and grabbed towel. Nijimura followed after him to change into some clothes.

"Hey, what should I wear?"

Shougo was digging through his closet, "Hah? Just wear anything."

"But it's a feast, right? Shouldn't I dress up?"

The younger prince paused and gave him a weird look. "Right~ You're a Teikonian. You probably dress fancy all the damn time. I'm not gonna survive in your castle for sure."

"What do you mean? You guys don't dress properly for feasts and dinners?"

Shougo put his hand on his hip, "You think we can dress properly in 80-degree weather? We only dress up for special occasions. A feast doesn't count."

He tossed him some loose shorts and and a tank top, and a short-sleeved button up just in case the prince felt too exposed. Shougo wore shorts and a short-sleeved button up, but didn't bother buttoning up, letting his abs show. He tied a bandanna around his forehead to keep his hair from sticking to his face if he were to sweat.

"Do you usually dress like this?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, don't you need a way to establish yourself as a royal, something that sets you apart from regular people?"

"I don't know how it is in your kingdom, but we're islanders. There's not a lot of us, so we practically know everyone. We're not too worried about status and wealth. A happy kingdom is a peaceful kingdom. If we merge ourselves with our people, they'll trust us more, so they're less likely to try and rebel against us. I still don't understand why you guys want to overthrow us so badly anyway. We just want to live peacefully."

Haizaki slipped his feet into his flip flops and headed towards the site of the feast. Nijimura trailed after him and thought about his fiance's words.  _"Why **do**  we want to overthrow them?"_

The couple arrived at the big campfire that was started in the center of town. Colorful lanterns were strung together and were hung around, flowers decorating the street lamp posts, citizens and nobles alike dancing, singing, and eating together. Even the queen was sitting down on a laid out picnic blanket, enjoying some liquor with some senior citizens.

"Uncle Shou!" A little girl came running to Haizaki and he lifted her up into the air, making her giggle in happiness.

"Hey, you~"

"Uncle Shou, is this your husband?" she asked, pointing at Nijimura.

"Not yet. He will be when the wedding is over."

Her eyes sparkled, "Then, we still have time!"

"For what?"

"I want you to marry Uncle Nash instead!"

Haizaki laughed out loud and lightly pinched his niece's cheeks, "I would gladly marry Nash than this loser."

Nijimura thought to himself,  _"Who is this Nash?"_

"Nijimura-cchi!"

Kise waved over to him. The Miracles sat on their own picnic blanket, drinking Fuku liquor and eating. He decided to leave Haizaki with his niece and joined his friends.

The Miracles also weren't wearing much, and Aomine just went shirtless but no one seemed to mind. Even the generals and noble men went shirtless and most of the women were in bikinis with some sort of skirt tied around their waists.

He sat down next to Akashi, who poured him a cup. Murasakibara was being typical and was shoving deserts into his mouth left and right while Midorima was scolding him on his intake. Kise was pestering Aomine and Kuroko was on the sideline, edging for them to fight. That left for him and Akashi to talk.

"This country is really different, isn't it?" Akashi stated, sipping on his liquor.

Nijimura took a swig of his and looked around, "Yeah, it sure is."

"It seems the kingdom has a lot more fun than ours."

He eyed Akashi weirdly. Did he really just say that? "Wow, that is so out of character for you to say."

Akashi shrugged, "Well, with years and years of gaining knowledge and fighting wars, a man would need to have fun some time to cope with it."

"Hmm, true."

"I wonder how strange our reception will be to Prince Shougo."

Nijimura actually never thought about that. Since he's arrived in Fukuda Sogo, he's only thought about how the ceremonies were completely different compared to Teikonian traditions and how lively everyone gets during weddings.

He's attended many Teikonian weddings, and he'd have to say that no wedding could ever be as lively as his right now. Since Fukuda Sogo is such a small country, the people are closer to each other; everyone is practically a big family. When someone has left, they cry together. When someone has given birth, they celebrate together.

However, in Teiko, the whole country doesn't celebrate a birth of a commoner's child. Hell, he doesn't even know everyone in the castle, let alone the captial city.

Nijimura wonders, how will Shougo react?

He saw Daisuke dragging a resistant Shougo to the center of the campfire to join the line of dancing men. It was actually a cool dance, and it was amazing that all of them danced in sync. Shougo looked embarrassed at first, but judging by the smile on his face, he's really enjoying it. Even his cousin with the creepy smile, Makoto, joined in on the dance, effortlessly syncing with the rest of them.

Kise saw the dancing and stopped arguing with Aomine, "Wah! That looks so cool! Kuroko-cchi, let's try it!"

"I'd rather not," he declined, "I can't dance very well."

"Come on~"

Kuroko shook his head and continued to eat. Kise pouted and his eyes locked on Nijimura. Oh no. "Nijimura-cchi~"

"Nope. Don't even-"

Just like Daisuke, Kise dragged him with all his might to join the dancing line. "As- the- groom- you- should- be- dancing- with- your- bride!" he said between breaths as he struggled to drag Nijimura with him.

"Let's all go~ It looks fun~" Murasakibara surprisingly stopped shoving sweets into his mouth and helped Kise, picking Nijimura up from behind and moving him towards the line. Aomine joined them, but Midorima and Akashi decided to stay and sit with Kuroko. Lord knows how awful their dancing skills are.

Seeing them come, Daisuke got out of the line to welcome them. "Aye! The groom is here to dance with us!"

Even with his protest, Daisuke was very strong and put him right next to Shougo.

The younger prince scowled at his arrival. "Great, now I have to teach you how to dance."

Shougo instructed him to put his arms around the shoulders of the people next to him and squat down when everyone else does, and kick his leg out as he squats.

Because Teiko was practically a Western colony before their independence 100 years ago, the only dances he knew were the waltz and any other types of ballroom dancing. The dance Haizaki was trying to teach him didn't look so hard, and to his surprise, he actually got it down pretty fast. Even Haizaki was smiling a bit at his progress. "Heh, I'm an amazing teacher!"

Nijimura scoffed, "Oh please, the dance is simple. Anyone can get it down in three minutes."

Haizaki smirked and arched his brow, "Oh really?" He motioned for him to look over at Midorima, who had been dragged into it against his will by Murasakibara. He was struggling quite a bit.

Aomine laughed at his failed attempts and the poor green-haired guy could only go red in the face.

It was almost two in the morning when the queen called it a night. And from only the feast tonight, the Teikonians learned that when the Fukus party, they party  **hard**.

Most of the people that had attended were walking home with wobbly legs, others were slurring; they weren't kidding about drinking until they dropped.

Even Haizaki was a little hazed, his cheeks tinted red.

Nijimura supported him on the way back to the castle, the stairs being the most difficult obstacle. "Oi! Watch your step!"

"I am! I'm not drunk!"

The older rolled his eyes, "Says the one tripping over their own feet."

After an endless count of stairs, they both managed to reach Haizaki's bedroom. Nijimura tossed him onto the bed and stretched. "Lord, you're a hassle."

Haizaki slowly sat up and stretched out his arms, yawning as he took off his shirt, tossing it to a clothing basket in the corner. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Nijimura looked at him confused, "Get what over with? Wait, are you actually going to consummate with me?"

"Hell no! This is another ceremony that the couple has to do in the bedroom. It's supposed to be an intimate ceremony, like the bathing in rose petals thing."

"So, what are we doing this time?"

Haizaki pointed over to the bureau, "You see that tray of yellow powder? We both have to take off our shirts. And then we have to dip our thumbs in the powder. Then, we have to do certain patterns with it on each other's body. I'll do it first so you can see. Take off your shirt."

Damn, this is a hella long wedding process.

Nijimura took off his shirt while Haizaki went to get the tray of yellow pigment. A few seconds after, he was standing in front of him with the tray in hand. "First, you do three dots on the forehead to form a triangle. That represents when we first get married, when we have kids, and when we die."

He gazed into the younger's eyes as his thumb gently pressed into the center of his forehead. He's actually quite handsome up close.

"Second, you trace a line down the nose bridge to the tip of the nose. That represents the longevity of our marriage."

Shougo traced a line down his nose with the pigment. He did it so softly that it almost tickled.

"Third, you trace your partners collarbones. That represents the bride and groom always having each other's backs. Never once doubting each other, and always trusting them."

He spread his hand out and dipped only the tips of his finger into the yellow pigment and pressed it onto his torso.

"Fourth, imprint five dots at the same time to wish for everlasting happiness within the marriage."

When he was done, he shoved the tray into Nijimura's hands. "Here, just do those steps on me and I'll tell you what the last step is."

The older did as he was told and placed the yellow pigment where it was supposed to be on Haizaki's body. His body temperature was warm.

"Last step, we have to do at the same time. We swipe our thumb across each other's chins and seal the deal with..."

"With?"

Shuuzou could've sworn Shougo's face was getting redder.

"...a kiss."

Being slightly tipsy wasn't helping Shougo in the least. Maybe he should've drank a bit more so that it would be less embarrassing to do.

They both did the chin swipe quickly, but both were hesitating on the kiss.

Time was passing and they had a ceremony to do at noon. Nijimura wanted as much sleep as possible. So, he sighed and grabbed Haizaki by the back of his neck and pulled him closer, "Fuck it."

Shougo was a bit slow at processing what was going on because of the alcohol. But he didn't realize they were kissing until he felt a tongue sliding into his mouth.

How long was this guy going to kiss him? Does he plan on making him die due to lack of oxygen?

Shougo pushed his hand against the older's chest, getting him to stop. "God, were you trying to suffocate me?"

Nijimura licked his lips and smirked, "Maybe."

"Fucking perv."

Shougo shook his head and crawled into the bed. Shuuzou chuckled softly and slept on the other side of the bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

...

...

...

"...cchi. Nijimura-cchi!"

"Ah, he's finally awake."

"Finally, it's takes forever to wake him up."

"Oha Asa says time is of the essence."

"Hurry up ya old hag. You're gonna be late for the ceremony."

"I'd love to see that."

"So like...are you guys done waking him up? Cuz I'd like to wash up without you guys in my bedroom."

Nijimura squinted his eyes. What time was it?

He yawned and sat up, itching his head.

"Well, it seems like our job here is done. We'll see you both at the temple."

The Miracles left the two and Nijimura looked at Haizaki, who looked like he didn't even have a drop of liquor last night. "What time is it?"

"8 am."

"8 am?! How do you not look hungover?!"

Shougo smirked, "It's called Fuku power. Work hard, play hard bitches~ Get up, we gotta wash the yellow off together."

"Another intimate ceremony?"

"Unfortunately, yeah. Trust me, if there was no such ceremony like this, I'd already be out clean instead of waiting for your ass to wake up."

...

After their bath together, the two dressed in regular clothes and headed to the royal hall for breakfast. Shougo screamed in joy when he saw the foods that were prepared for their breakfast.

Shindo walked towards them chuckling, with his daughter in hand. "The chefs don't want you to leave so they're trying to get you to stay by bribing you with your favorite foods."

Misaki giggled and nodded at her father's joke.

"If I had a choice, I would stay bro."

Shougo ran off to give each of the royal chefs a hug.

Nijimura doesn't even know who  _his_  royal chefs are. Shindo left Misaki alone with Nijimura while he went to greet all of the guests.

Shuuzou had a feel he was being stared at. By someone standing right next to him. When he looked to his side, he found Misaki glaring at him with her arms crossed over her chest. Shuuzou gulped nervously, he didn't how such a little girl could feel so intimidating.

"If you make Uncle Shou cry, you're gonna pay for it!"

"O-Oh...haha...really."

Was she being serious? Wait, why is he even scared of a four year old?

"If you make him cry or hurt him, I'm gonna make sure to suffocate you in your sleep and inject poison in your veins and I'll bury you where no one can find you!"

Okay. Wow. She's something else.

"I promise I won't make him cry."

She raised a brow, "Really? How can I trust you?"

Who taught her how to say these things?!

"I'll pinky promise you."

She reluctantly stuck out her pinky, "You swear on Ifrit?"

"I swear on Ifrit, I won't ever make him cry."

"Good!"

Misaki was all smiles again and dragged Nijimura over to the long table of tropical foods. A scary girl she is.

He saw Haizaki chatting happily with all of his cousins, a joy that Nijimura could only dream of. He did have two younger siblings, but they usually keep to themselves. And if they do speak to him, they speak quietly and respectively because of the way their tutors taught them.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Shougo handing him a plate of food until the man lightly elbowed his side. "Here. I don't know what you people eat over in Teiko, but these are my favorites, and they are fucking delicious. So eat up, we have a long day ahead of us."

That was actually quite thoughtful of him. But obviously, Nijimura wouldn't admit that ever.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally i was able to produce this chapter
> 
> i was busy becoming broke with all of the christmas shopping i had to do
> 
> but i hope you liked this one even though it's not much
> 
> comment if you can! :)


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> little mini story of the olden days that probably takes up most of the chapter

"Not gonna lie, that food was actually really good."

Haizaki grinned, "Of course they are! My favorite foods are the best!"

Nijimura let out a chuckle. Haizaki scowled again, "What are you laughing at?"

"You're cute when you smile."

Red crept onto the younger's face as his eyes widened in surprise. Angrily, he shoved a piece of bread into Nijimura's mouth. "Shut up!"

The older only smiled and chewed on the bread.

"Nijimura-kun."

"WAH!" Haizaki instinctively rolled away in defense when Kuroko decided to make his presence known. "W-What the fuck?! Where did you come from?!"

"I had just finished eating breakfast and the dresser told me to grab Nijimura-kun to get ready."

"Well, why didn't you say so?! Fucking popping out of nowhere like a damn ghost!"

Just then, the priests had come to fetch Haizaki as well. "Haizaki-sama."

"WAH!" Nijimura laughed out loud at the prince's reaction. "Oh, it's just you guys. Don't scare me like that!"

"Uh, we didn't intend to. It is time to get ready for the next ceremony."

Haizaki got up and pointed over to Nijimura and the Miracles with a cocky smirk, "See you suckers in the ring!"

The Teikonians were quite confused on what the Fuku prince meant, but they'd find out in due time.

...

...

All of the citizens from Fukuda Sogo traveled far in order to witness the next ceremony of the princes' wedding. Even the fisherman on the outskirts of the island abandoned their boats for a few days in order to become spectators in the colosseum.

The next ceremony is an ancient tradition of the olden days, meant to be forgotten. However, since this marriage is between two men, the Queen thought it would be quite entertaining to bring the old tradition back just this once.

...

_When King Fukuda Sogo was fully established into the newly built kingdom, none of the wedding ceremonies had changed. He wanted to keep the tradition as intact as he possibly could so that the future generations would know their roots and never forget it._

_One of the ceremonies that were highly looked forward to was the Battle of Pride. The groom and the bride would be adorned in their personal armor and have a duel against each other to see who would be dominant in the relationship. Back in the old Fukuda, the princes always won against their brides._

_However, when King Fukuda Sogo's 1st prince held his marriage, it was the first time in history where a woman had won a victory against her groom. Crown Prince Fukuda Kaito was a well-mannered prince, quick-witted, strong, agile, flexible, handsome, and smart. He was everything a prince dreamed of becoming._

_Although, even with all of those qualities, he was extremely weak for his wife, Princess Kyoutatsu Matsuri. She was the 3rd princess of King Kyoutatsu Minoru from the far east, who was famous for his endless wins in battle. Taking after her father, she was strong, swift, stubborn, hot-tempered, loud-mouthed, and brash. She was everything a princess would never want to be._

_Yet, Prince Kaito fell for her unruly personality and managed to get her to say 'hi' to him after several months after their first meeting at a royal ball. In which, that same royal ball was the first time he ever saw a princess wearing a prince's attire. Her hair looked like it wasn't even brushed before being pulled into a slicked back ponytail. She wore no makeup, but her complexion was clear. Her chest may not have protruded out as much as her sisters, her legs may have not been as slender as the ideal woman, and she may or may not look like another female soldier, but she was attractive nevertheless._

_Prince Kaito was a **very**  popular bachelor at the time, so he was surrounded by flocks of women, looking forward to courting him. Politely, he rejected each one and apologized. When he was finally free of the many women that were after him, he made his way to the princess that caught his heart._

_At that moment, she was being scolded by her oldest sister for wearing such attire to a royal ball, and not untangling her hair, and not wearing makeup, and for picking her boogers and flicking it onto the back of a passing minister._

_Kaito cleared his throat slightly to get their attention, and it surely worked for her sister, but Matsuri only gave him a swift look before picking at her ear wax._

_Shyly, he held his hand out to her, "Could I have the honor of dancing with you, milady?"_

_Her oldest sister's mouth dropped to the floor in shock, "Y-You're asking **Matsuri**  to dance?"_

_"Matsuri is your name?" He gave a soft smile to her, "Whether your name stands for 'celebration' or for 'jasmine', the name is just as beautiful as yourself."_

_Matsuri slowly turned her head to face him, her eyebrow arched. Kaito could've sworn there was a slight blush on her cheeks. "Wow, this bastard is crazy."_

_"M-Matsuri! Watch your language!"_

_She turned away and headed for the balcony where it was quieter, but not before getting in her last sentence that night, "Stay away, fucking flirt."_

_Her oldest sister repeatedly bowed in apology, "Crown Prince, I apologize for my younger sister's brazen words!"_

_"N-No need! It must been my fault for coming on too strong..."_

_"No, no! You are not to blame! She's always been like this, please forgive her."_

_He shook his head, "There is nothing to forgive, she did nothing wrong."_

_Her sister looked at him with surprise, "Do not tell me, Crown Prince, you've been taken by her?"_

_He laughed awkwardly and avoided eye contact._

_"You have! Haven't you?!" Her eyes sparkled in excitement. "I will help you get her hand in marriage if so you wish! I'm always worried she'll die lonely, but, if you have taken a liking to her, I won't have to worry much longer!"_

_Prince Kaito twiddled his thumbs and didn't dare to face her, "But...I don't want her to marry me if she doesn't like me."_

_"Nonsense! I've known Matsuri since she was in our mother's womb, and she'd never bat an eye for any man! Trust me, when she glanced at you, you passed the handsome test. Now, all you need to do is win her heart!"_

_Ever since then, he's written several letters to her, asking to know her bit by bit. Of course, she never replied back...that is until one lucky day, Kaito finally received a letter back from her._

_His younger brothers were also excited about their oldest brother finally wanting to court a lady, so as the hyper child that Arashi was, he had the honor of reading the contents aloud to his older brothers. Kaito was quite nervous as to what she wrote back. Maybe she wrote this letter to reject him? Oh, that would be horrifying!_

_Arashi cleared his throat and read, "Dear Prince Kaito..."_

_Their 2nd brother was also quite hyper, "Arashi, why did you stop? Hurry and read it!"_

_"Um...haa, okay... If you say so..."_

_Oh no, Kaito already knew by Arashi's face, she definitely rejected him. He hung his head gloomily as he prepared himself for the next words._

_"Dear Prince Kaito, sorry that I hadn't replied back to you until now. I was quite busy with my studies and practice. And my annoying sisters want to train me to be a proper woman, so my ass was too tired to read your letters, let alone write a reply. I recently had free time to myself, and read all of your letters. Which I'd like to say that I'm quite impressed that you didn't give up on me the night I called you a bastard and a fucking flirt. But to answer your questions, my favorite color is purple, my hobby is sparring with the soldiers during their training days, my favorite food is deep-fried fish with a side of spicy shredded mangoes, and if you wanna find out more about me, I suggest you come and find me yourself, if your love for me is so sincere. So before I even start liking you back, I just wanna make sure that you want to court a dirty, tomboy like me. I'm not really used to being called beautiful, so you really shocked me back then. Well, my bro is getting married in a few days and your kingdom is invited, so feel free to come, if you really intend to court me. See ya later, flirt."_

_The whole room went silent. The 2nd prince, Prince Moriyama, rushed over to Arashi and took the paper, "She couldn't have possibly written anything you said! Let me read this!"_

_Moriyama scanned the entire letter, and every word that came out of Arashi's mouth was not made up. "I-It's true...she did write this! O-Onii-sama!"_

_Kaito was in quite a state of shock, "S-She did?" He abruptly stood up and snatched the letter from his brother's hands and read it over and over again. Everything was written clearly._

_"Onii-sama, what are you going to do now?"_

_His hands trembled and a tear slipped down his cheek._

_"Onii-sama?"_

_Kaito brought the letter to his lips and kissed it in joy and hugged and lifted all of his brothers into the air in excitement. "She didn't reject me! I'm so happy I can't even describe it in words! I have a chance!" He froze and called for a servant. "Quickly! Inform His Highness that the princes will be attending the marriage of the Crown Prince of the Kyoutatsu kingdom! We are to leave at once!"_

_"Yes, sir!"_

_The four Fuku princes have never seen their oldest brother so elated before._

_Prince Kaito was never the talkative type, and his brothers really wished he would talk more frequently. But boy, oh boy. The boat ride there, they all wished for Kaito to shut the fuck up. They couldn't even fit in a nap! Even the crew men had to suppress their urges of abandoning ship._

_Fortunately, the kingdom of Kyoutatsu took only a day's trip. By morning, Prince Kaito had quieted down, however, his nervousness only increased the closer they got to shore._

_As they neared the port, he spotted the princess waiting for them, crossing her arms and idly swinging one leg. Even in a soldier's training outfit, she looked stunning as ever. He let out a breathtaking sigh at the sight of her, "Princess Matsuri..."_

_His brothers yawned and stretched as they all came out of their sleeping quarters and rubbed sleepily at their eyes. They had to admit, seeing their oldest brother leaning on the edge of the boat, smiling as he's looking off to the love of his life while the sun was rising behind him was a beautiful sight._

_They finally landed and Prince Kaito was the first to rush onto the dock. He quickly comb his messy hair with his fingers and made his way towards her._

_"So you really came, huh?"_

_Kaito's cheeks turned pink and he gave her a small smile, "Princess Matsuri, I was very happy that you wrote back. Please allow me to get to know you better."_

_"Well first off, you can start by just calling me Matsu, cuz I'm sure 'Princess Matsuri' is a whole mouthful."_

_"I will do that, Matsu."_

_She looked over her shoulders and pointed over to the four princes that had just gotten off the ship, "So, who dat?"_

_Kaito beckoned for them to come faster. "These are my younger brothers: Moriyama, Jusei, Takeshi, and Arashi. Brothers, this is Princess Matsuri."_

_Only eight years old at the time, Arashi's eyes sparkled as he grabbed her hands, "Onee-san!"_

_"Uhhh, someone come get they mans."_

_Kaito pulled him away by the back of his collar, "Arashi! Don't be rude!"_

_"Now I know why Onii-sama likes you! Trust me, he was talking abo-MHMF!"_

_Kaito slapped a hand over his mouth and smiled, "Sorry, he's quite the hyper child."_

_She smirked and leaned into Kaito's face, the latter now extremely flustered at the close proximity, "You were talking about me, aye?"_

_"N-Nothing bad, of course!"_

_She only laughed, "Follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."_

_The five Fuku princes heeded her word and looked around as they passed through the flourishing city. They reached the kingdom gates and Matsu's oldest sister was there to greet them, "Prince Kaito, it's a pleasure to see you again." she said with a wink._

_He smiled at that and bowed, "The pleasure is all mine, milady."_

_She ushered Kaito and Matsu together towards another path while she tended to the other princes, "Matsuri, why don't you show Prince Kaito around? I'll show the other princes to their rooms."_

_"What? Why-"_

_"Can I come too, Onee-san?!"_

_Arashi was quickly pulled back by Moriyama, who got the hint, "No, Arashi, you have to help us unpack."_

_Matsuri crossed her arms and was about to retaliate, when her sister gave her **that**  smile. That meant, if she didn't do as she was told, she would have to suffer wearing high heels for six hours straight, again._

_"Fine. Come on."_

_Before he left, Kaito turned around to give her sister a big smile, who in turn winked back._

_Matsu brought him to the royal garden and picked a flower as they passed by, "So~ what do you like about me?"_

_Kaito coughed awkwardly at the sudden question. "You're beautiful."_

_"Okay, I know I'm hot stuff. Besides that?"_

_"You're funny."_

_"True dat."_

_"You know how to defend yourself, and you seem like an independent woman."_

_"Mhm."_

_"You get me flustered."_

_"Yep- Wait, what? You said I get you what?"_

_"F-Flustered...No woman could ever make me jumble my words like you. Every time you look at me, my knees just want to buckle beneath me...Ah! I'm too embarrassed to say more!" he covered his face with his hands and shook his head._

_She stopped to look at him, "Pfftt...GAHAHAHA! KNEES BUCKLE! YOU'RE HILARIOUS!"_

_Even the way she laughed was like music to his ears._

_"Hey, if I ever happen to like you back, just know that you're going to be my wife, because WOW! You totally sound like another princess confessing to her prince."_

_He laughed along with her. She tucked the flower she had onto his ear and took a good look at his face, "You're not that bad looking either."_

_Kaito was blushing again, and his heart was pounding at the touch of her hands. He held her hand and kissed the palm, this time, making her flustered. "Then, would you be my prince?"_

_The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped them out of their moment. Matsu quickly took her hands away and waved to the tall, hunky man in front of them. "Yo~ what's up, bro?"_

_"Don't 'yo what's up' me, who the fuck is this?"_

_Now, Kaito knows where she got her language from._

_"Uh, this is Prince Kaito from Fukuda Sogo. He's here to attend your wedding."_

_He glared through Kaito's soul, "And do you want to fucking explain to me why he kissed your damn hand?"_

_"Cuz he wants to court me?"_

_Even though, the older prince was gruff and hostile-looking, he had a soft spot for all of his sisters._

_The Crown Prince staggered back, "C-C-Court?! What in god's name is going on here?!"_

_"Darling! What's wrong?!" The Crown Prince's fiancee ran to him._

_"Matsu! She!"_

_Matsu rolled her eyes and told her sister-in-law not to worry. "Bro you're so dramatic."_

_He pointed at her dramatically, "How dare you?!"_

_She stuck her tongue out at him and pulled Kaito in for a kiss, which neither he, her brother, nor her sister-in-law were prepared for. "He's mine now, so back off."_

_Her brother fainted right on the spot. Kaito was in a daze as Matsu dragged him along. "Don't mind him, he has a sister complex with all of us."_

_They made their way out of the garden and back to the castle, "Anyway- hey, you okay?"_

_She waved a hand in front of his face, "Hello~ Earth to Kaito?"_

_Mumbles were coming out of his mouth and she thought it would be nice to slap him across the face to regain his senses, but nah._

_The morning of her brother's wedding came and everyone was dressed to the nines. Well, except for Matsu of course. She wore a splendid prince's suit to the ceremony and she looked absolutely stunning regardless. Sadly, Kaito didn't get a chance to talk to her._

_It was now the night of the reception and Kaito was dressed in a nicely tailored suit. He wore a deep red velvet suit, with gold buttons and cuffs. His silky, long, black hair was braided tightly into two Dutch braids. Both of his ears were pierced and studded with gold all along the rims. He looked more like a devilishly handsome nobleman, than a refined Crown Prince. But, all of the princes of Fukuda Sogo had these dual charms. Even the innocent Arashi looked intimidating with his several cornrows. Moriyama, the only brother that decided to cut his hair short, just slicking his hair back and by taking off his glasses, his piercing green eyes could make any soldier tremble in fear. Jusei, though the middle child, managed to outgrow all of his brothers and gained muscle from training all day long. Wearing a fitted tuxedo and tying his hair up into a messy bun while always having on a permanent poker face, would make anyone feel smaller than they really are. And Takeshi, an outward, thuggish flirt, caused all of the noble women to swarm around him when he arrived in a bright red tux, wearing a black dress shirt underneath. His hair was just beneath his shoulder blades, but the bottom half of his head was shaved off. When he pulled it into a ponytail, everyone could see and feel the freshly shaved hair._

_To say the least, the five princes were eye turners that night, catching the sight of everyone at the party. But not to Prince Kaito._

_The **true**  spotlight belonged to no other than his lovely Princess Matsuri._

_The King and Queen walked down the elegant marble stairs, smiling as they waved to all of their honored guests. Behind them were the married couple, and the four other princesses, the last one coming down the stairs being Matsuri._

_This was the first time Kaito ever saw her wearing an evening gown, or any female clothing at all. Although it was a matte black color, the fitted parts of the dress showed off her hidden curves, and the long slit on the side of her dress gave the audience a glimpse of her sun-kissed thighs, and the bust was a sweetheart cut with her sleeves falling off of her shoulders, but holding tight, showing of her gleaming collarbones and shining shoulders. Her hair was finally free of tangles and was smoothly set out in big waves. Her makeup was light and soft, but it accentuated her features well._

_Kaito was lucky enough to be standing near the stairs at the time. When she fully descended the stairs, Kaito timidly walked up to her, his hands playing with his braids nervously. "Matsu, you look more beautiful than the goddess of beauty herself."_

_"Sorry, you're hot, but I'm waiting for someone."_

_Kaito became disheartened at that. "For who?"_

_"Some flirt named Kaito."_

_Is she talking about **him**?_

_"Matsu, it's me, Kaito!"_

_She turned to look at him and observed his face very closely. He blushed again and her eyes widened. "No way! Kaito?! You can look hot as fuck?! Holy shit man, you're like a totally different guy!"_

_He chuckled, "Dual charm runs in the family, as you can see." Kaito pointed to all of his brothers to prove his point._

_"Yoooo, seriously?! Is that kid with the cornrows Arashi?!"_

_"It is indeed."_

_She smirked and turned back to look at him, "If you can look like this too, I don't think I'd mind. Say, would you like to have the first dance with me?"_

_Matsuri held out her hand, just like how Kaito did those few months ago, and he gladly took it and led her to the floor. "My pleasure, milady."_

_The two locked hands, Matsuri's other hand on his shoulder, and Kaito's on her waist. They clicked together as quick as gears on a clock. They chatted on about endless things as they took turns being twirled by the other. All eyes were on them. Kaito, the surprisingly devilishly handsome prince, and Matsuri, the tomboy princess that surprisingly wore a dress for once in her life._

_After the reception, the two officially started to court each other. Eight months later, Matsuri and her siblings traveled to Fukuda Sogo, in order to ask for Kaito's hand in marriage. Obviously, he said yes, but it was quite amusing how he accepted the proposal._

_"Kaito!" she thrusted the bouquet of flowers in front of his face and got on one knee, "Will you marry me?"_

_The entire court was shocked at the action, it was uncommon for women to do the proposing, but knowing Matsuri, she's the only woman that could pull it off._

_Kaito may or may not have fainted, but he immediately ran into her arms and kissed her in front of the whole court. Matsuri went completely red in the face, but it slowly cooled down and she smiled as she hugged him._

_She only smirked when Kaito whispered into her ear, "I'm officially your wife now."_

_Her hands slid down to grab at his buttocks and replied, "Damn right you are."_

_Kaito let out a high-pitched moan at the sudden pressure. Moriyama rushed to cover Arashi's ears, "Onii-sama, please! There are children present!"_

_"Sorry~"_

_The King and the Queen just rolled their eyes and laughed. The rest of the court bursted out into joyful shouts and congratulated the couple on their advancement into love._

_The thing that Princess Matsuri was best known for, was winning the Battle of Pride. In a one-on-one combat, she dueled with Prince Kaito using various weapons and techniques. The lad didn't have the heart to harm her or even think about hitting her, so he just dodged her hits as best as he could. Eventually, he saw her stamina slowly decreasing after hours of striking him, so he willfully surrendered._

_As they were exiting the colosseum together, Matsuri caressed Kaito's face and gave him a worried look, "Did I hurt you badly?"_

_He smiled and took her hand, "I thank you for your concern, but I'm not too battered up." Then, he moved closer to kiss her cheek, "Just remember, I may have let you win this battle, but when we battle in the sheets by the end of this week, you'll be the one to surrender to me."_

_Matsuri's entire body turned a deep hue of red as Kaito made his escape. "Kaito! Y-Y-You pervert! You weirdo! I fucking hate you!"_

_Kaito turned back and grinned, "I love you too!"_

_..._

_..._

And that was first time a bride ever won the Battle of Pride.

But with the Queen bringing the tradition back, will Shougo be the next bride to defeat their groom?

"Dresser-cchi! Why are we suiting up in our armor?"

"Because the next ceremony is the Battle of Pride. Surprisingly, the Queen decided to bring it back, just this once."

"The battle of pride? What's that?"

Aomine pushed Kise over and grinned, "Did someone say 'battle'?!"

"Aomine-kun, please calm down. It might not be what you think it is."

The dresser shook his head, "Nope, it's exactly what he thinks it is. The Battle of Pride is an ancient tradition where the bride and the groom have a one-on-one duel to see who will be the more dominant partner in the marriage. But since the kingdom is more modernized now and has allowed for groomsmen and bridesmaids, you six will be battling the six bridesmaids first. The battle of the two princes will be saved for last."

"Hah?!" Aomine's face twisted into a frown, "We have to fight women?"

Kise nodded in agreement, "Dresser-cchi, are you sure it's okay to battle with women?"

The dresser chuckled, throwing the seven men off. "Don't underestimate Prince Shougo's bridesmaids. Those six were chosen to be his bridesmaids for a reason."

Akashi finally decided to listen in on the conversation.

"Not only are those ladies Prince Shougo's close friends, they were also personally trained by the late King Haizaki and now serve in the royal army as generals alongside Prince Shougo. In other words, their abilities and strength can compare to that of the Miracles of Teiko, A.K.A, you guys."

Akashi tossed his dagger in the air as he smiled, "Oh really? We'll just have see the truth in this then."

...

Over in the bride's changing room...

"Yo, Shougo! You better crush that ass in the ring today!" Murasakibara's pair-up shouted.

"Oi! Don't worry 'bout me, Yasagi. Worry about yourselves. You're going against the Miracles, you know?"

The bridesmaid that was paired up with Aomine tightened up the strings on her armor, "Ya, we know. Us six are miracles too, ya know?"

Shougo rolled his eyes and tightened the strings for his breastplate, "Ya, I know, Ruri. You guys are the Jasmines of Fukuda Sogo. How could I not know?"

Kise's counterpart was cleaning her blade, "Apparently not, since you're so worried we're gonna lose."

"Hoshi, I did not say that."

"But you were thinking it."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too!" another one chimed in.

"Inoue! This is fight between me and and Hoshi! You stay out of it!"

Akashi's pair-up pouted and continued to sharpen her knives, "Hmph! Shougo is so mean!"

Midorima's bridesmaid was polishing her bow and spectacles, "I told you not to get into other people's arguments."

"But Naomi! It sounds like he doesn't believe in us!"

"Inoue, calm down. Shougo's just worried for our safety." Kuroko's counterpart explained.

Shougo threw his hands into the air, "Finally! Someone who gets me! Thank you, Ayame!"

"No prob, brotha."

The Jasmines all had on pitch black armour, with red capes that were gifted from Ifrit, who took a liking to them as his own daughters, since it was him that helped King Haizaki train them since young. Because Ifrit had gifted them their own capes, they were allowed to touch Shougo's cape as well, but  **only**  his cape. Yasagi and Ruri held the heavy cape for Shougo as he secured the clasps onto his armor.

"Is everyone ready?" a priest asked.

The seven generals exchanged smirks and smiles as they grabbed their weapons. In unison they shouted, "LETS GO KICK SOME ASS!"

...

Nijimura and Miracles were led to a locker room in the colosseum, where they waited to make their grand entrance. The room had no door, so they could see who was passing by in the hallway. The groom party was chatting amongst themselves about the results of the battle when they heard obnoxious laughing and pig-snorting coming from the end of the hallway.

"Broooo~ Trust, I am the best. No worries on my side!"

"Same here!"

"Shougo, you betta whip him good!"

"In the ring and in bed!"

The Jasmines snorted and laughed like a bunch of old men while Shougo got angry and yelled, "SHUT UP!"

The six women laughed even louder, even pretending to wheeze because they've never seen their little lion so embarrassed.

Nijimura and the Miracles got a glimpse of their opponents as they passed by the entrance of their locker room. They saw black, red, black, red, and then blinding gold. And only Nijimura caught the smiling face of his fiance. He looked amazing.

Not that he'd ever admit it, of course.

...

**"Now, ladies and gentlemen! This is the ceremony we've all been waiting for!"**

The crowd went wild and cheering was heard throughout the entire arena.

**"Coming all the way from Teiko is Crown Prince Nijimura Shuuzou and the Generation of Miracles!"**

The Fukus clapped loudly in respect, while a few Teikonian nobles hollered for their team.

**"And from our very own country of Fukuda Sogo is the Little Lion: Prince Haizaki Shougo, and the Blossoming Jasmines!"**

Forget about cheering, at the arrival of the bride's side, the entire arena roared out their lungs in support of their beloved generals. Even little Misaki was waving a flag for her favorite uncle.

The bridal party lined up in the middle of the colosseum, each person facing their opponent.

"Silver armor don't look to shabby on you, Niji."

Nijimura smirked, "I could say the same for your golden armour, Zaki."

**"Greet! Bow!"**

The two teams exchanged their greetings and bowed before leaving to their assigned entrances.

**"Up first is General Saotome Hoshi from the Jasmines, and General Kise Ryouta from the Miracles! Combat type: swords!"**

The two drew out their blades, Kise holding his with one hand and keeping a steady stance with the other, while Hoshi twirled her sword with her fingers as she watched his every movement. Hoshi made the first move and stepped hard on the ground with her right foot and jumped up, slamming her sword against Kise's, in his attempt to block it.

Kise pushed his sword against her, making her jump back a few steps before running in again to clash with him.  _"Holy shit! Why is she so strong?!"_

Hoshi pulled back and rolled onto the ground to make a swipe at Kise's feet. The blond didn't expect that and stumbled back in the process of avoiding it.

With the blond distracted by the stumbling of his feet, Hoshi held her sword tightly as she swung at Kise's sword, making it fly out of his hand and landing in the ground behind him.

**"Winner is General Saotome Hoshi!"**

Kise grumbled at his loss while the rest of the arena cheered for her victory. Hoshi offered him a handshake, "Good game."

He sighed and shook her hand, "Good game."

The two headed back to their entrances and switched with the next contestants.

**"Up next is General Kurosaki Yasagi from the Jasmines, and General Murasakibara Atsushi from the Miracles! Combat type: sledgehammers!"**

Yasagi looked up at the purple-haired general, who stood taller than his own sledgehammer. She readied herself and twirled her sledgehammer above her and moved in on Murasakibara. The latter picked up his sledgehammer with one swift move and swung at her violently. Yasagi blocked all of the strong blows effciently while slowly inching closer.

Now, it was her turn to make Murasakibara back away as she swung at him from several directions.

At one point, he managed to grab her sledgehammer by the tip, and using his huge body as leverage, swung her around. After picking up speed, he let go of the weapon and allowed it to fly away with it's master. Yasagi took a hard hit to the ground as she fell.

**"Winner is General Murasakibara Atsushi!"**

Yasagi sighed and got up, dusting off her armor and approaching the giant for a handshake, "We should spar again sometime."

"Ok, Yasa-chin."

"It's Yasagi."

"Yasa-chin."

"Yas- ugh whatever."

**"Next is General Ayakashi Ruri from the Jasmines, and General Aomine Daiki from the Miracles! Combat type: bare fists!"**

"Hey hottie~"

Ruri rolled her eyes and readied her fists.

"Ooh~ eager to play aren't you?"

"Eager to beat your ass!"

She threw a powerful fist first, Aomine dodging it within seconds. "Fiesty, I like it."

He took a shot at her abdomen, but missed by a mere millimeter when she stepped back to dodge it.

Their fists were flying so fast that the audience couldn't even see their hands! Shougo and the Jasmines were yelling from their spots, cheering her on.

Aomine managed to take a hold of her wrist and pinned her down to the ground. Ruri grunted and kicked her feet upwards, throwing Aomine off of her body. He winced and looked at the dented spot on his armor, "I love strong people. You're just my type!"

He pounced forward and did a quick uppercut, his knuckles barely gazing her cheeks.

"Hate to break it to ya, but you're not my type!" She jumped up into the air and did a roundhouse kick, her foot making contact with Aomine's face. He flew backwards and grunted. Sitting up, he smirked and wiped at his bleeding lip. "So that's how we're playing, huh? I got you."

**"Winner is General Aomine Daiki!"**

Ruri crossed her arms and glared at Aomine as she mumbled complaints under her breath. Aomine only winked at her before switching off.

**"Next is General Gazuda Inoue from the Jasmines, and General Akashi Seijirou from the Miracles! Combat type: daggers and knives!"**

Inoue skipped her way to the center of the arena and gave a big smile to Akashi. "I wish you best of luck, Akashi-kun!"

Akashi twirled a knife in his hand, "No need. You're the one that will need the luck."

Inoue's bright smile suddenly had a scary aura to it, and she looked down at Akashi with a terrifying glare as daggers suddenly appeared in between each of her fingers, making it look like she had claws of a wolverine, "Hah? Didn't anyone ever tell you to respect your elders?"

**"Winner is General Gazuda Inoue!"**

Akashi walked back in a daze, "How...no one has ever beaten me before...this is impossible..."

Inoue high-fived her teammates and Shougo gave her a hug, "Inoue, you're the best! I told you I wasn't doubting you!"

"I'm sorry, Shougo! I shouldn't have doubted you!"

Midorima and Naomi's battle, and Kuroko and Ayame's battle both surprisingly ended in a draw. Now it's up to the final two to decide which team, the bride or the groom's, will take the title of the dominant ones.

...

**"The title of Dominant was won by the groom! Congratulations!"**

The battle ended with Haizaki pinned to the ground beneath his groom, who made sure to lock him in place so that he wouldn't be able to retaliate like Ruri did to Aomine.

Night was settling in quick and the Jasmines and Miracles headed back to their rooms in the castle while Nijimura had to wait for Haizaki to finish putting back his armor in Leo's special room.

"You all set?"

"Yeah." Haizaki stretched his arms out and yawned. But something wasn't right.

He blinked and took a look at his left hand. "My ring! It's gone!"

"What are you talking about? The marriage ring is still on your finger."

"The lion ring, you idiot!"

"Re-check the armor room. Maybe you took it off with your armor."

Haizaki quickly went back inside and scanned everywhere for his ring.

"It's not there! I can't believe I lost it! Oh my god! I lost it!"

He pulled at his hair in frustration and it looked like he was about to cry too. Nijimura was not trying to deal with that. "Hey, calm down. We'll just retrace our steps and find it, okay?"

"We can't sleep until we find the ring."

"Okay, okay. Let's go find it then."

Nijimura took a hold of the younger's hands and dragged him back on the path they were on before. The two of them check through patches of grass, piles of rocks, animal burrows, everywhere. Nijimura could see that the younger was getting more aggravated by the second. "Let's check the colosseum. Maybe it flew off your finger while we were fighting."

They arrived at the colosseum and went to the arena area. It was a full moon, so it was easier to see if there was a shiny gold object around.

"I'll check this half, and you can check the other half."

Haizaki actually listened to him for once and the two split up to search for the ring.

Nijimura was squinting as he searched his side. Minutes later, a reflection was beckoning for him to come hither. "Hey! I think I found it!"

Haizaki's head immediately shot up and the young prince made his way towards him.

The elder reached out for the ring, but Haizaki stopped him, "No! Don't touch it!"

"Why not? I'm right here, I mind as well pick it up for you." He tugged at the ring and looked at it strangely, "Huh? Is it stuck or something? It won't budge!"

Haizaki finally reached for the ring as Nijimura was still trying to pick it. "I told you to leave it. Only I can-!"

Shougo's eyes widened as the pulling force of his fiance caused them both to fall to the ground as soon as he got a hold of his ring.

"OOMPH!"

Nijimura slowly opened his eyes and found himself beneath Haizaki, who, with the bright rays of the full moon, looked almost like a majestic unicorn: soft, pearly-

"What the fuck are you looking at?"

Okay, scratch that. He's not majestic at all.

"Waiting for you to get your ass off of my crotch."

And it just so happened to be that Haizaki was really sitting on the crown prince's nether regions. The younger hurriedly got off and scrambled to his feet, dusting at his ring at the same time. He sighed in relief at the result of their search, and put his lost ring back on.

"What's so important about that ring anyway?"

Haizaki held it dear to his chest and scowled, "You wouldn't understand."

He started heading towards the exit with Nijimura following behind. "Wow, so what? No saying of thanks?"

Haizaki stopped and glared at him, "Hmph!"

Nijimura rolled his eyes and they both made their way back.

The kingdom was having another feast in the center of town and Yasagi and Inoue dragged Shougo to eat with them before he could even bathe. "Guess who's here?!"

"Who?"

The two girls pointed over to a muscular, dark-skinned man, with silver hair.

"JASON!"

Shougo pounced on him like a dog, the poor man choking on his wine.

"I see you're as hyper as ever."

Shougo grinned, "So if you're here, does that mean-!"

Jason put a finger too his lips and shook his head, "I know what you're gonna ask. Nash isn't here. He had to go with his dad to resolve some government issues."

Shougo's grinned faltered and his eyes turned sad. "So he's not here..."

Silver thought to himself,  _"If he even heard about the news of your marriage, he would jump off the face of the Earth. To think the guy he likes is getting married...poor Nash."_

"So you really had to marry Teiko, of all enemies."

Shougo sighed and plopped his ass down next to Silver, "Listen, if I had to choose, I'd choose a lousier kingdom. But I really had no say, so I'm stuck with them- no,  _ **we're**_  stuck with them. I guess we all automatically become allies with their allies."

Silver made a noise of disgust and Shougo laughed, "I feel you, man."

He gave Shougo's shoulder a soft squeeze, "Stay strong, Little Lion."

Silence befell between the two. Even with all of the other people around them that were drinking and eating and chatting aloud, Silver could still hear the prince sniffle. "Oh come on, don't cry..."

"Why you gotta say things like that? You know I get emotional when you say it like that..."

Tears were brimming at his eyes and Silver couldn't stand seeing his friend cry, so he just brought Shougo into a hug, hiding his face in his chest. "Come on, Shou, you shouldn't let other people see you cry."

Shougo's voice was soft and muffled, but Silver heard him clearly, "I really wish I didn't have to do this."

He rubbed the prince's back soothingly in attempt to calm him down.

To be honest, Silver knows exactly how Shougo and Nash feel about each other. And probably everyone else too. Well, except for the two in mention.

The two men will most definitely say that they do not have any interest in their own gender. However, Nash is the only man that Shougo would want a relationship with that is more than friends and vice versa. Sure, it's common for buddies to go out drinking with each other and smack each other's private parts for fun, but if you get shy about it and your cheeks get hot when you think no one is paying attention...

Even little Misaki knows the feelings that are being passed between Nash and her uncle. She practically wishes for the two to be together already. But, unfortunately,  _ **this**_ happened.

If Nash were to ever find out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so just incase yall wanna see how i imagined kaito during matsuri's brother's wedding, i did a drawing of him on my insta: trey_desu (he's so fucking hot i tell ya)

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! just letting you know, i update slow and when it comes to chapter build up, i cant really slow it down, so if it goes too fast, i'm sorry! i'll try to slow it down to a good pace as much as i can! i really hope you guys liked it so far! don't forget to comment down below!


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